Born August 17, 1929 in San Diego, Calif. she was the daughter of Arthur and Luella MacKintosh. She graduated from Phoenix High School in 1947 and went on to earn her Bachelor's degree from Southern Oregon College in Ashland, Ore. in 1951.

She was a long time teacher at the Phoenix Elementary School District in Phoenix, Ore., teaching 1st grade there for 34 years, and had a passion for teaching children to read. Jane once said, "Until you have experienced a child learning to read, putting sounds together, decoding their words and that light shines and they really start reading...I don't think there is a better gift in the world than being a teacher. She retired in 1987 after 36 years.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Robert Gordon Germer, who passed in 2001, and her brother, Donald MacKintosh. Survivors include her two sons, Doug Germer and his wife, Elizabeth, of Burke, Va., and David Germer and his wife, Mary, of Portland, Ore.; two grandchildren, Audrey and Lucas, and numerous cousins.

Martha Jane was a wonderful daughter, mother, and grandmother. She was very independent and extremely involved with family activities and her grandchildren. She loved to travel, was an avid reader, and enjoyed gardening.

She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority, a greeter at the Medford Medical Center and her church, and traveled extensively throughout the country. Some favorite travel locations were Arizona, Hawaii, the Oregon Coast, and camping at Union Creek.

Jane was far more likely to be attending to the needs of others than taking care of herself. She positively affected many students over her teaching years and thoroughly enjoyed her family and retirement. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

A memorial service will be held June 1, 2013 at 11:00 a.m., at Ascension Lutheran Church, 675 Black Oak Drive, Medford Ore., Pastor Doug Vold officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the SMART Reading Program at www.getsmartoregon.org, ACCESS at www.accesshelps.org, or to Ascension Lutheran Church.